WSWH: Love the Hair, Love the Shoes

Hey, y’all!

You may not know this, but I have a small side jewelry business. (A single mom has to keep the bills paid until her grammar blog becomes a worldwide phenomenon, you know?) I often see questions from other stylists asking what pieces “compliment” some other piece. Now I have some pretty fabulous and expensive necklaces, but none of them have ever complimented a pair of earrings or bracelet. That would be just plain creepy.

When you “compliment” someone, you’re saying something nice. It’s the “Love the hair, love the shoes” you say before you tell her that her dress isn’t doing her any favors or she has spinach in her teeth. (It’s always a good idea to be complimentary before you launch into a critique.)

Otherwise, when you’re talking about two things that complete each other or make each other perfect, you should write that they “complement” each other.

How can you remember which is which? That’s easy! When you have two (or more) of a kind, use the word that has two vowels of a kind! (See the two e’s in “complement”?)

Thanks, sweet readers, for being faithful, encouraging, and totally fantastic! Oh, and I love the hair and the shoes.